3 new faces that have provided big spark for Penguins during recent turnaround
12/10/2024 10:48 AM
The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing better hockey, and these players have played a big role in that turnaround.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing their best hockey of the season over the past two weeks and it has at least given fans a reason to pay attention for the time being.
There are a lot of players responsible for that improved play.
Bryan Rust has been outstanding and clutch. Tristan Jarry has at least been passable in goal. Michael Bunting has started to score a little more and produce something. Sidney Crosby and the top line are scoring some goals. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang have played better. All of those performances are a necessity.
They are also getting some big contributions from a couple of newer faces into the lineup.
Let's talk about them.
Blake Lizotte
It is not exactly a big secret that Kyle Dubas has a certain type of player he likes to employ in his bottom-six forward group, and it usually involves strong defensive play. Or at least hypothetical defensive zone play. It has not always worked out as he has envisioned it, whether it be in Pittsburgh or Toronto. But when the Penguins signed Blake Lizotte in free agency this offseason I thought he had a chance to not only be the type of defensive presence that Dubas likes in his bottom-six, but that he also might actually be a good version of that type of player.
Lizotte has always had strong defensive metrics at both even-strength and on the penalty kill, and he has just enough offensive skill to not be a complete zero with the puck on his stick.
So far, even if it is an admittedly small sample size, he has been one of the Penguins' better offseason pickups in recent years.
He already has six goals and nine points in his first 13 games with the Penguins, and has also provided a steady defensive presence.
Now, the offensive impact is not going to continue. It just is not. He is scoring on 37 percent of his shots right now and that's just simply not going to continue. He has never scored more than 11 goals in his NHL career. Having said, I do not think it is a stretch to envision him still scoring 12-15 goals total for the season.
But the real value with Lizotte has been the fact he was added to provide a defensive presence, and he has done exactly that. Especially during this recent turnaround.
Over the past eight games the Penguins are allowing just 1.48 expected goals per 60 minutes with him on the ice and only 2.55 goals per 60 minutes. He is helping to suppress chances and goals, and doing so while drawing some of the heaviest defensive zone assignments on the team.
He has been rock solid and a steadying presence on a part of the roster that needed it.
Basically, he is everything Noel Accairi was supposed to be, only better and for a slightly lower salary cap number.
Owen Pickering
This is what the Penguins need right now. A young player, coming through their own farm system, that not only has a chance to provide some fresh legs and juice to an aging team, but also be a potential building block for the long-term.
The Penguins are easing Pickering into life in the NHL, typically playing him around 14 minutes per game, but he has not looked out of place.
In fact, he has at times looked downright impressive.
The competition does not look too much for him, he seems to be getting better and more comfortable every game and he has just been a welcome addition to a defense corps that has badly struggled at times this season.
Beyond that, the numbers also back up everything about the way he has looked.
Over the past eight games the Penguins are allowing just 2.03 expected goals per 60 minutes with Pickering on the ice. That is the fourth lowest mark on the team among players that have played in at least two games during that stretch.
They are allowing just 1.65 goals per 60 minutes. That is the lowest number on the team among players that have played in at least two games during that stretch.
Like Lizotte, he is also doing that while facing heavy defensive zone start assignments.
He might not ever be a big-time scorer or point producer. But he has an NHL future in front of him, and potentially a good one. He has some Brian Dumoulin vibes to his game.
Philip Tomasino
My expectations for Tomasino coming into Pittsburgh were pretty low, but I absolutely loved the decision to roll the dice on him. They should do more of that whenever the opportunity presents itself. While I do not expect him to completely transform the Penguins, he has been an obvious spark to the offense when he has been on the ice with three goals and four total points in five games. It has been nice to see Evgeni Malkin have somebody on his line that can also provide some offense as long as Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are playing on the top line with Sidney Crosby.
What I most like about Tomasino's game so far is that he is simply getting pucks at the net and has a shoot-first mentality. He already has 16 shots and 24 total shot attempts in five games. Since joining the Penguins the only player that has taken more shot attempts per 60 minutes than Tomasino's 19.23 is Bryan Rust (19.55).
Maybe he sustains some of it. Maybe he does not. Either way, I like taking the chance and so far it has provided a lift to the offense.
